Narcissism as defined at Dictionary.com is:
- The inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive love; vanity.
- Psychoanalysis. Erotic gratification derived from admiration of one’s own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.
I was talking to my son on the phone today when I asked him if he thought the younger generation was a narcissistic one and if he thought parents are partly to blame.
Want to know what his answer was?
“Hell, yes!”
I’m sure if I asked him if he was a bit narcissistic, he would probably also be saying, “Yes,” to that question.
But how did he get that way?
“Parents are Partially to Blame for Narcissism “Epidemic” is what is being touted over at parentdish.com. They say that according to a new book, “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement,” rampant plastic surgery, materialism, helicopter parents, and the cult of celebrity are all contributing factors.
The authors of this book, Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell say that raising our kids to be over-confident can lead to disaster personally and socially. Apparently giving our children easy credit, celebrity worship and treating our kids like royalty makes our kids narcissists. A parent, who agrees with this, according to the Parent Dish article, is Julie Marsh, the author of a blog called The Mommy Slant. According to her, parents are quick to praise and not discipline. I cannot wholly agree with this. It's a combination of things; genetics, people, and media.
"I was talking to my son...I asked him if he thought the younger generation was a narcissistic one and if parents are to blame...his answer was, “Hell, yes!” "
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